The world commemorates the most tragic example of Anti Semitism, and assures itself nothing like it could ever happen again. But Israeli cabinet minister Nathan Sharansky claims that as in Nazi Germany, there is a culture of hatred of Jews within Palestinian society exacerbated by the Palestinian Authority controlled media. [Sharansky] “The message is the same: Jews are the parasites of this world. The more Jews you kill, the more happy we will be; Palestinians, Arab people and all mankind”. [Clip in background: PA TV September 12, 2004, Sheik Ibrahim Maadi: “The Jews will fight you, and you will subjugate them... Until the Jew will hide behind the rock and tree, and the rock and tree will say: O Muslim, O servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him!”] Sharansky claims clips like this shown on Palestinian television incite genocide of Jews, mandating their killing as a religious obligation. [Clip in Background: PA TV “Historical” series (produced by Jordanian TV) June 15, 2004: “(Jew laughing) Who is going away? Who is uprooted? Who is leaving? Just some of the clips Israeli group “Palestinian Media Watch” record from Palestinian Air. Its director claims in terms of attitudes littler has changed since the 1930s and 40s. [Itamar Marcus] “They way people are being taught to look at Jews has many of the components of the way the Nazis told their people to look at Jews; “Jews have an inherently evil nature” – was said by both, “Jews are a threat to world peace” – was said by both. “And therefore Jews have to be killed” – was said by both” Claims I took to the head of the Palestinian broadcasting corporation. I showed him clips Nathan Sharansky had used to base his opinions on. [Raduan Abu Ayash]; “first of all it’s a big lie, I would say. I don’t believe that we are inciting. I think that the Israelis are exaggerating. The source of incitement is occupation.” [Clip in Background: PA TV June 23 2002, school girl talking: “[Israeli soldier’s] beliefs were formed by the Hebrew bible, their Fanatic Zionist leaders, and other fanatic organizations, that Palestine is the land of Milk and Honey, and that arabs are nothing but germs to get rid of.”] Many of the examples, Ayash claims, are beyond his control. Opinions, even ones perceived as Anti-Semitic, on a live chat-show, he says, are impossible to vet. And his job is not to create opinions, merely to reflect what is happening on the ground. [Raduan Abu Ayash]; “The ones who are under occupation they resist by words, by fire, by theater, by everything. OK? As if you are telling me: Please smile when you have a bullet in your head.” Ayash did not acknowledge Anti-Semitism in any of the clips, claiming it is impossible to judge when snip-its have been taken out of context. [Clip in Background: PA TV May 25, 2004, a theater show: “They are the ones who did the Holocaust. They opend the ovens for us to bake human beings. The evil plan was exposed in the alliance among Satan, when the treacherous Jews set their eyes on all palestine”] Diametrically opposed as their opinions may be, both Sharansky and Ayash admit there has been a subtle change in Palestinian Television in the short time Mahmud Abbas has been leader. More song and dance, according to Ayash, less calls for the destruction of Israel, according to Sharansky. Paula Hanckoks. CNN, Jerusalem |
